Seeking God Daily

I’ve been singing O Holy Night since I was a child and it is one of those songs that has the power in melody and lyric to still chill my spine, sweat my palms, and take my breath away. Undoubtedly I’m not alone. Now if this timeless song can effect emotions and blood pressure some 2,000 plus years after the fact,  can you imagine the dry mouths and spiked heart palpatations of those who were actually present that “night of the dear Savior’s birth”; the night when the world was introduced to JESUS?

There will never be another night like “that “ night . It was unprecedented; perfectly designed and perfectly fulfilled in every detail. It was an ordinary night that became holy because of the only one who was, is, and will always be holy; without fault; set apart; righteous through and through; God with skin; JESUS.

We live in a world that still struggles with sin and error, still stumbles in weakness and oppression, and still searches for true peace and love.

O Holy Night is poetically crying out, “Stop struggling! Stop stumbling! Stop searching!”

 The “Holy One” has demolished sin, meets us at our greatest point of need, and teaches us how to live in true peace and love.

The “thrill of hope” is not only a historical fact but a daily reality for anyone who has declared “Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever”…and His Name is JESUS.

My resolve this year is a lofty one. I desire that  every word from my mouth, every thought in my head, and every action from my entire body would be a “grateful chorus” of praise and obedience to the One who has broken the chains of an unholy world and touched me with His holiness; to the One who grew from a lowly manger to be my King of Kings and my Suffering Savior…JESUS.

When I think of my sinful condition and His sacrificial intervention, I am deeply humbled. How can I offer any less to JESUS

When I think of that “Holy Night” I think of one of the most stirring and humbling movies I have ever seen, Amazing Grace. It’s the true story of William Wilberforce’s stand off with the British Parliament regarding the abolition of  slave trade. One of the most gripping scenes in the movie was during a conversation between Wilberforce and the nearly blind former slave trader turned minister, John Newton.  As Wilberforce considered the monumental mountain before him, Newton spoke some poignant words to his young friend to help him maintain a heavenly perspective on a seemingly impossible earthly task.

The lyricist of that beloved old hymn, Amazing Grace, told Wilberforce, “Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly. I’m a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior!”

O Holy Night directs us beyond where “the stars (were) brightly shining” to a grusome rockface called “the skull” upon which a tree of death was placed. Our great sin  should have hung us on that rugged cross but instead it was willingly occupied by a great, holy substitute, JESUS.

“O night divine”  and its victorious completion, some thirty-three years later, have made it possible for me to enjoy a life divine. I sure hope you are enjoying it as well. 

Wow, will you look at that…sweaty palms. Thank you JESUS.

“His power and glory evermore proclaim!”

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom HIs favor rests.”  Luke 2:14

“…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV)

 There are many things for which I am not thankful. Among many, I am not thankful for cancer or for child abuse or for terrorism. I despise all of them. Now take a close look at the Bible text above. Paul, the author of 1 Thessalonians, did not say we should be thankful for all circumstances but rather in all circumstances. And his tone is quite emphatic regarding the regularity of our gratitude; “…all circumstances”, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the happy and sad, all of the time and in every situation, barring none! So, although I am not thankful for many things, including cancer or child abuse or terrorism, God’s expectation for me is to still give thanks if I should ever face such calamities.

 And why should we be prepared to always give thanks? For starters, because God said so! He always knows what is best for us and He makes it quite clear that a thankful heart satisfies His will for us which will equip us with His perspective toward our circumstances. When we look through God’s lenses we are enabled to see more of God Himself and less of the circumstance. His desire is to assure us that He is there in the middle of the circumstance to provide what we need in order to endure it or to enjoy it, as well as learn from it.

Christian writer Henri Nouwen was invited to visit L’Arche in France, the first of 130 communities worldwide where people with developmental disabilities could live and share life together with their caregivers. In 1986 he accepted the call to pastor an L’Arche community in Canada called “Daybreak’. It was during his pastorate that he wrote about his relationship with Adam, a young man with severe developmental disabilities. That relationship inspired the following quote and illustrates Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 5.

“Being grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work. Still, we are only truly grateful people when we can say “thank you” to all that has brought us to the present moment. As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for. Let’s not be afraid to look at everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.”

Perhaps my five year old grandson, Caden, unknowingly, expressed it the best when it was his turn to pray at our Thanksgiving meal a few years age. He began by saying thanks for each one around the table, including the dog, and each family member that was not present. Then he named each one of his preschool classmates, his teacher, his toys, boys and girls who didn’t have any toys, anyone who might be sick, and to God for making things (Fortunately, he didn’t start naming them or we’d still be sitting around the table.). Finally, he turned his thankfulness to the food. While attempting to name each entrée by name he got stumped by one of grandma’s not so familiar looking dishes. He hesitated, looked at his famished family around the table, and then with a big smile on his face, blurted out, “Oh, thank you, Jesus, for everything! Amen.”  I’ll second that, Caden, Amen.

So as you snarf down that turkey wing and some of mom’s pumpkin pie on Thursday, be reminded that you can be thankful at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances. It’s not because you’re necessarily fond of what might be happening in your life but because of Who is with you…

 …NO MATTER WHEN, NO MATTER WHERE, NO MATTER WHY, NO MATTER WHAT! THANK YOU JESUS.                                       

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So I say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b, 6

I watched one of my all-time favorite movies last week, the 1981 Oscar winner for best picture, Chariots of Fire. It’s a marvelous tapestry of compelling storyline, believable performances, and thrilling race scenes (can you tell I always wanted to be a film critic…look out Roger Ebert). Nearly thirty years ago my wife and I were sitting in bed watching the Academy Awards and didn’t think that a movie with such an overt Christian message had a chance to take home Hollywood’s biggest prize on her biggest night. But,  the film about the “flying Scotsman”, Eric Liddell, brought home  movie industry’s gold medal.

Every time I’ve watched this flick I’ve walked away inspired and challenged. This viewing was no different ,although the scene that provoked my thinking this time didn’t have Liddell in it. Liddell’s greatest threat to being  beaten in any given race, was England’s speedy sprinter, Harold Abrahams. In their first race against each other, Liddell defeats Abrahams in the 100 meters. Abrahams takes the “beating”, as his girlfriend calls it, like a pouty child. Sitting in the empty bleachers looking like he was about to cry, he whines to her, “If I can’t win, I won’t run!” She responds with an in your face retort, “Harold, grow up! If you don’t run you can’t win”…simple, direct, obvious and very profound.

Got to thinking about pouting…you know … when the bottom lip protrudes in displeasure looking like a hooked carp . You see it predominately in children but it’s certainly not uncommon to see a sullen smirk on a big person, e.g. Harold Abrahams… or how about The Pouters Hall of Shame in the Bible.

CAIN displayed a jealous pout after God chose his brother’s sacrifice over his own. He had the dubious distinction of being the first murderer in history (Genesis 4). BEEN ENVIOUS OF WHAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS DONE OR ACQUIRED?  

SARAH displayed an impatient pout when God didn’t give her a son when she wanted one. She decided to take things into her own hands (actually she took things into her own tent) and forced her husband to commit adultery (you don’t hear that happening everyday) (Genesis 16). BEEN FRUSTRATED WITH GOD WHEN HE DOESN’T DO THINGS YOUR WAY?

MOSES displayed a limiting pout when he told God that he wasn’t qualified to be used by God to get His people out of Egyptian captivity.  Moses discovered that God could use even a tongue-tied goat herder to do great things for Him (Exodus 10). HOW BIG IS YOUR GOD ANYWAY?

THE ISRAELITES displayed an ungrateful pout after they left Egypt as a free people, no longer slaves, but complained about their wilderness cuisine. God gave them the opportunity to write the cookbook, 101 Ways to Serve Manna (Exodus 16). HOW CONTENT ARE YOU WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF YOUR LIFE?

JONAH displayed a self-pity pout when the nastiest nation on earth told God they were sorry and experienced God’s compassionate forgiveness after Jonah had delivered God’s turn or burn message. He learned that when you throw a pity party, you’re usually the only one who shows up (Jonah 4).  FELT  SORRY FOR YOURSELF LATELY?

ELIJAH displayed a childish pout after seeing God’s absolute power defeat 450 false prophets. He celebrated the victory by fleeing to the desert, laying under a tree, and asking God to let him die (2 Kings 19). HOW SECURE ARE YOU IN GOD’S CONTINUAL PROTECTION AND POWER?

AHAB displayed a greedy pout when his neighbor, Naboth, refused to sell his vineyard to him. For this and other dastardly deeds he committed, he won God’s Wicked Witch of the West Award for the Bible’s Most Evil King (1 Kings 21). HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH FOR YOU?

A RICH YOUNG MAN displayed a defeated pout after Jesus gave him an answer he didn’t really want to hear regarding how to live forever. He learned the hard way that it’s not how much you have in the bank but who you have in your heart that counts (Mark 10:17-31). ARE YOU PERMITTING ANYTHING IN YOUR LIFE TO BLOCK GOD’S ULTIMATE BEST FOR YOU?

Who hasn’t been guilty of pouting for some reason or another? We’ve all wanted to throw in the towel when we didn’t get our way…you know…”It’s all about me” mentality. Ever wonder how God feels about our pouting? I think He just might say,

“Larry, (feel free to insert your name, if you dare) grow up! If you don’t love and trust me, you can’t …

…enjoy the blessings of others, let alone, your own blessings

…enjoy my perfect timing and my perfect will

…enjoy getting me out of your little box and seeing more of me

…enjoy being thankful and content in what I have provided

…enjoy your faith growing deeper and wider

…enjoy the privilege of being God’s ambassodor

…enjoy my wisdom, even when you don’t fully understand it

…enjoy living in my victory

…enjoy ME!”

Simple, direct, obvious, and very profound!

 “Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”  Hebrews 6:1

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been call according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28

I love being a grandpa. It gives me license to be silly. My two grown sons can’t figure out what happened to me. They watch me with my seven grandkids and just shake their heads in disbelief. “Is this really the man we called Dad? Is this the guy who told us to stop being gross, don’t do anything stupid in public, grow up, quiet down, and be careful? Look at him now, he’s embarrassing us.” And you know what? They’re right…and I don’t care because the grandkids love it. When I crack my nose or ask the grandkids to pull my finger or talk like Larry Boy the Cucumber or distort my face and I hear them yell, “Again Papa”, I just have to give them more.

One of the more civilized activities I love to share in with my grandkids is reading to and with them. Especially books that engage their impressionable young minds, have cool illustrations, and a message that young and old can comprehend. One such book has a long history in our family. Grandma read it to me, Mom read it to our sons, and I’ve read it to our grandkids; one of those books that is so sweet and simple and at the same time is powerful and profound. It’s Margaret Wise Brown’s The Runaway Bunny, a story of a little bunny who tells his mother that he is going to run away. The mother tells the bunny that no matter where he goes or what he does she will not give up or go away. “If you run away I will run after you, for you are my little bunny.” Little bunny finally gives in to his mother’s persistence and says, “Shucks, I might as well stay where I am and be your little bunny”.

That’s a relentless love; love that is unshakeable and immovable, love that is never leaving but forever loving. It’s a picture of God’s love for us. Listen to Psalm 139:7-10. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, you right hand will hold me fast.” His perfect love is always present, always pursuing, always providing, always protecting. He demonstrated this relentless love when He extended mercy, grace, and forgiveness to us through the life, death, and resurrection of His One and Only Son, Jesus (Romans 5:8).

Have you come to the place in your life where you realize that God will not give up on you or go away from you? If you have, how about taking the time to thank Him for loving you so completely. If you haven’t or you’ve strayed from His love, how about giving in to your heavenly Father’s persistence right now? Absolutely nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35). It’s relentless!

Saw this Hi and Lois comic in the “Funnies” of our newspaper this week (Does anyone still call it that?) and chuckled at its relative truth. I’ve encountered signs like this one. Haven’t you? It declares everything you aren’t allowed to do but gives no indication as to what is allowed. I saw one sign that had the list of “nos” followed by the cheery sentiment, ”Have a nice day”. Oh yeh..how?

The comic got me thinking about how many people look at Christianity with a similar disdain. They feel Christianity is only about all of the things that they are  not supposed to do. They accuse the Bible of being a book of no-nos with very few yes-yeses.  Their belly-aching begins with the ‘thou shalt nots” of the Ten Commandments followed by all of the prohibitions in The Law and then they highlight the laments and taboos announced by God’s prophets.

Now we could argue with them that those no-nos are all in the Old Testament before Jesus’ ministry.  Jesus was all about yeses. But then they counter with, “ OK, let’s look at some of Jesus’ tidings of good joy (I believe you call that sarcasm.):

LOVE PEOPLE WHO HURT YOU AND PRAY FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T EVEN LIKE YOU?  Is that normal?

 OFFER YOUR LEFT CHEEK AFTER YOU JUST HAD YOUR RIGHT ONE SMACKED?  The Rocky Balboa mind(less)set…ok, go ahead and take your best shot!                       

 BE WILLING TO LOSE EVERYTHING SO YOU CAN GAIN EVERYTHING?  Huh? How does that work?

 LIKE  SUFFERING? Why sure, doesn’t everybody?

ASSOCIATE WITH THE LOSERS OF SOCIETY?  Only if they’ve taken a bath and had a recent background check.                                                

IT’S BETTER TO HAVE TREASURES IN HEAVEN, A PLACE YOU CAN’T SEE, THAN A LOT OF MONEY IN A BANK THAT YOU CAN SEE?  Who’s your financial planner anyway?

BE THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING, EVEN IN CRUMMY TIMES?  You bet. I love being down, disappointed, and depressed.                                                    

 GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS TO YOURSELF?  Yeh, I always wanted to be a puppet.

And then he has the audacity to declare that he came to earth so people could enjoy an abundantly full life…full of what? Sort of like saying, “have a nice day”. Oh yeh…how?

Well, I’m glad you asked that question.

When Jesus told his disciples of “then” and “now”, “If any man would come after me he must first deny himself…” (give up your rights to yourself; Matthew 16:24) he was saying, in essence, that when you say yes it really means no and when you say no it really means yes. What? Before you get your Fruit of the Looms all in a snuggie, let me explain.

If a person says yes to Jesus as their Lord, Savior, and Best Friend, they are saying no to some dreadful realities such as …

…hell

…separation from God,

…accountability for sin,

…guilt, shame, and doubt,

…anxiety and stress,                                                             

…imperfect self sufficiency,

…uncertainty of the future,

…live relying upon common sense,

…love with conditions, just to name a few.

If a person says no to themselves they are saying yes to some wonderful realities such as …

…living forever,

…friendship with God and adopted into his forever family,

…forgiveness of sin,

…incomprehensible peace and confidence ,

…eternal purpose,

…perfect God sufficiency,

…confidence in the future,

…live relying upon supernatural sense,

…love with no conditions, just to name a few. And lest I should forget, they are saying yes to the above skeptic’s complaint list.

If you’ve already said yes to Jesus, there is absolutely no limit to what God has available for you from his heavenly storehouse. You might say, the sky’s the limit. If you’ve yet to say yes to Jesus, there is absolutely no way that you can access any of God’s good stuff, which includes God himself, without Jesus.  And all of that good stuff…that’s just God’s way of saying ,“have a nice day”…everyday!.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realm with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  Ephesians 1:3

 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”  2 Peter 1:3

Dramatically rising nearly 1,300 feet above the Belle Fourche River in the Black Hills of northeastern Wyoming is the massive volcanic intrusion of sedimentary rock called Devil’s Tower. Forty years ago I climbed it for the first time. I’m not sure why I climbed it…perhaps, because “it was there”. Next to teaching preschoolers, it was one of the most strenuous and challenging experiences of my life. During my initial encounter with Mato Tipila, as the Lakota Tribe calls it, I was struggling with a particular pitch. I couldn’t see where to move next and the blood was rushing from my fingers and feet causing me to have the shakes; not a good thing when you’re dangling 500 feet above the ground. Above me with my belay rope was my buddy, John. He told me that he would be my eyes and then instructed me how to position my feet and where I should place my hands. In spite of my pain, fear, and inability to see where to go I moved as he prescribed and, wouldn’t you know it, his directives were right on. My confidence to make the move, though, was not in John’s plan but rather in John’s person. Because of our close relationship I trusted him. That’s the kind of faith God requires of us; one that puts absolute trust in him in spite of our pain, fear, and inability to know what to do next or what he might do next. It’s all about the relationship. He promises to be our eyes. When you trust the person of God you’ll discover that  his plans are right on.

“…We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”  (2 Chronicles 20:12b)

“We live by faith, not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Ok, I want to live a life of faith but where does faith come from anyway? Yesterday I concluded my thought with some of the Apostle Paul’s most direct teaching on faith when he declared that “…faith comes from hearing and hearing comes from the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 NASB). Now let’s go back to the mountains. One of the most critical aspects of climbing is found in the communication system. By this, I’m referring to the direct voice commands that must be given before, during, and after a climb in order for the climb to have maximum safety and success. It is essential that the appropriate commands are given loudly and clearly, so that all parties involved in the climb can function effectively. Blowing or misunderstanding a command could have disastrous results. On the other hand when the climber hears and responds accurately the results can be exceptional. One of the most critical aspects of Christian faith is found in its communication system. Simply put, its all about the voice of Jesus and the ears of the follower. God himself commands that we “listen to him” (Mark 9:7). Jesus himself said, “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). How’s your hearing? How’s your doing? How’s your faith?

“…Everyone should be quick to listen…So do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.”  (James 1:19 & 22)

Another valuable faith lesson I learned while mountain climbing was in the rappel. Simply defined, rappelling is the act of descending from the top of a rock face down to where the climb began by means of a specially designed piece of hardware that creates enough friction to allow a climber to slide down a fixed rope safely. What that definition didn’t say was that the first step in a rappel has the potential of being extremely frightening.  If it wasn’t for the persistent questioning of the climber handling my safety belay rope I’d probably still be on the cliff”s edge during my first rappels. But he kept asking me if I trusted him and did I trust the equipment and I kept saying yes, yet my body wasn’t moving.  He countered with “I won’t believe that you trust me and the equipment until I see you take the first step over the edge. I need to see some action to back up your words”. Once I put my actions where my words were it was one sensational ride to the bottom. I wonder how many Christians are missing the sensational ride the Lord has available for them because their faith hasn’t progressed beyond their words. God hears our words of faith but expects to see lives that back up those words. God may be asking you why you declare belief in him but aren’t willing to step over the edge and prove it. Are you confused and afraid of how the Lord wants you to demonstrate the genuiness of your faith? Why don’t you ask him. You’ll be amazed at what he’ll reveal. “Now faith comes by hearing and hearing comes from the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

“…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…I will show you my faith by what I do.”  James 2:17, 18

I usually learn more through experience than I do from lectures and books. Case in point is when I climbed the GrandTeton during my youth. There were moments of amazement and wonder and other moments of just wondering what in the world was I doing on the side of a 14,000 foot mountain. Exhausted, sore, afraid, and unsure, our guide persistently reminded us that the struggles could never outweigh the joys if we would listen to him, watch him, and trust him in our journey to the top. And amazingly enough, the climb was exhilarating. I saw beautiful sights and had enriching experiences that surpassed my wildest expectations. 

The Christian life is full of amazement and wonder and at the same time can issue moments of uncertainty and fear. God, the author of life, knew that following him wouldn’t be easy…nothing worth having or doing ever is. He too promises that the joys will far outweigh the struggles if we would listen to him, look to him, learn from him, and live for him daily. And oh, the exhilaration of the spiritual sights and experiences that he brings us will excede our wildest expectations. All he asks is that we trust him.

“Do not fear for I am with you, do not be afraid for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you with my righteous right hand.”  (Isaiah 41:10)